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    Jack's Oyster House

    3.4 (307 reviews)
    PriceySeafood, American
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Jack's Oyster House Photos

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    JACK'S OYSTER HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Chicken Under a Brick
    Brittany H.

    The food was excellent at the new reincarnation of Jacks. We were so glad that such a historic Albany restaurant could reopen. They also kept the charm of the old Jacks. First we had the new Jacks at the Albany food and wine festival, the cocktail was the sure winner there. Tonight's food was also excellent. I started with the Alice on State drink and it was delicious and very pretty. My entree was the chicken on brick, the whole plate was good but those mashed potatoes were the star. My husband enjoyed his dishes as well. We ended the night with the chocolate layer cake it was delicious, I wish I didn't devour it. Also I wanted to give a shout out to the servers. They were all friendly and very easily handled our table of 11.

    Henry B.

    Amazing service by a friendly and attentive staff. Food is cooked to perfection, the drinks made professionally. The atmosphere is amazing. Love this place.

    Oysters!
    Craig R.

    Jack's Oyster House. One of the best meals I've had in a very long time. The oysters were fresh and shucked perfectly. Every dish had delicious, unique flavors. Our server, Elias, along with the entire staff were friendly and professional. Definitely worth the money.

    Filet Mignon
    Serene D.

    Extremely overpriced for wildly small portions, and truly none of the "perks" of fine dining. Put simply - this experience was just NOT WORTH IT. Left feeling disappointed and still hungry after a $250 meal! No bread and butter served, you will receive a small portion of protein and 2tbsp of potato with one broccoli floret. Mmm. Everything from apps to entrees was ice cold. Go to Black & Blue if you want something fancy or even Savoy taproom for a better dining experience for much LESS!!

    The "Life in Two" cocktail -- well-balanced and delicious!
    Caitlin W.

    I'm just a girl, sitting in front of a screen, trying to figure out how on earth to review the tasting menu at Jack's. My answer: very, very wordily. Buckle up, buttercups. Executive summary: Jack's feels like what would happen if you handed a skeleton crew of passionate young people the keys to an ancient restaurant and a menu from 1923, gave them a fairly limited budget, and said, "Do something with this!" The flaws in the experience felt like they came from understaffing and a lack of investment in the space itself. The highlights came from our excellent server, and some really outrageously delicious food whenever the chef veered away from the traditional stuff and got creative. Also, the tasting menu is a weirdly great value compared to ordering off of the regular menu, but fair warning: you'll end up stuffed like a goose. First: the service. It was warm and friendly as soon as we walked in, and everyone seemed genuinely excited when they found out that we'd booked the tasting menu. Our server Allie was an absolute delight throughout. That said, it felt as if there were about 5 people trying to run a large busy restaurant, with servers bussing their own tables, etc. -- not fine dining vibes. This obviously slowed down things a lot, and our 7 courses took a full three hours to get through. Second: the ambiance. Jack's is in a real stunner of a historic building, but it feels like no genuine effort has been put into sprucing up the place in a long time. There are definite "since the revolution this once-grand hotel has been run by loyal citizens of the People's Republic" vibes. My husband and I were sitting around discussing how we would redecorate. Aesthetics aside, the understaffing also meant that the place felt less spic-and-span than it should be -- the trashcan in the bathroom needed to be emptied, but which member of staff could possibly have the time to do it? The drinks: I ordered the "Life in Two" cocktail. I'm a huge snot about cocktails and can sometimes be seen whining on Yelp about weak cocktail programs at restaurants I otherwise like, but this was well-balanced, creative, and delicious. I would happily hang out at Jack's just for raw oysters and good cocktails. My husband had a glass of pinot grigio, which seemed fine. Course one: oyster trio. Possibly the weakest course of the night, and the most messily plated, with sad stray leaves of arugula strewn around. Everything was fine, but felt a bit phoned in -- though can much be done to make oysters Rockefeller exciting? This was the first of a few incidences where the more "traditional" dishes were the bigger letdowns of the night. Course two: the bison consume. This was visually lovely. The savoy custard was fantastic: beautiful texture and outrageously savory, like umami was a person and that person punched you in the mouth. The gold leaf, while pretty and nominally edible, was a bit texturally unpleasant for me: I'd just as well do without it. Course three: Salmon roe and shrimp toast. This one baffled me because it was so much more than the sum of its parts. How did they make what was essentially an open-face shrimp salad sandwich taste so good?? The shrimp were perfectly cooked, (nice and snappy) and the salmon roe was a perfect addition -- so many textural contrasts and bursts of flavor in each bite. Course four: wagyu tartar. This was ... fine? I enjoyed it, but it wasn't particularly mind-blowing. It was steak tartar! Course five: St. Coix Farms Pheasant. This is apparently brand new to the menu, and there was some miscommunication with the kitchen, so it was overdone to my taste and a bit dry (and also GIGANTIC: we brought most of it home). Delicious crispy skin, though, and overall tasty -- a smaller, more tender portion would have been great. Interlude: roasted peach and jasmine granita that wasn't on the menu. Huge ripe peach flavor, and a whiff of jasmine. I really enjoyed this. Course six: Morrocan elk Sirloin. When this unassuming plate appeared I thought it was going to taste like the beef dish you'd get at a wedding at a nice hotel (you know what I mean), but WOW, I was wrong. Truly meltingly tender, and wildly and mysteriously flavorful -- I actually turned it over trying to figure out where all of the flavor was coming from with no visible sauce (my conclusion: elves did it.). I'll dream about this. Course seven: desert -- pistachio gelato and a pandan-matcha-coconut-kiwi "cloud cake" that also wasn't on the menu. I was well and truly stuffed at this point but somehow managed to struggle through (pause for applause). The hibiscus meringue (magical pink flavor-clouds!) and almond praline that came with the gelato outshone the main event. The cloud cake had a whole bunch going on but was very fun in terms of both flavor and texture, if a bit on the sweet side. I would have ordered an espresso to go with dessert but might have exploded. I'm still full fifteen hours later. FIN.

    Tracey K.

    Wonderful and nostalgic, this downtown staple has an extremely professional staff and great atmosphere. I hadn't been here in a really long time and it had changed a bit. Very nice dining area and the staff extremely accommodating. They're very expensive but I don't feel my meal was up to par or at least worth what it cost. The presentation was quite fancy but the food was just ok. I got the stuffed lobster tail. It was lacking in flavor and wasn't worth the price tag. The wine was good! My dinner pal got the filet. He said it was good and cooked as requested but again, not worth the price tag! If you're looking for an upscale restaurant with great food, great service at decent prices in Albany, I'd skip this over priced place and head right to Grappa72!

    Jackson S.

    Stopped in at 11:30am on a Friday. I'm from LA and just assumed place would already be filling up but our party of 5 were the first to arrive for lunch service. We were attended to promptly and consistently throughout the meal. Three of our group ordered the steak salad - looked awesome. Two of us ordered the crab cakes. My app was their chowder. It had a curry back taste to it - different, but I liked it and cleaned out the cup! Crab cakes were quite tasty. One other reviewer said his were over cooked. Mine were perfect. Just the right amount of sauce. Overall, good business lunch. Nice, old world, restaurant with attentive service. Owner dropped by and said hello. Only downer was hand carts of food being rolled by our table. Not really an issue - just "odd".

    Jason F.

    Probably the finest restaurant in Albany. Ambience, service, culinary technique, and execution. Go here if you have high standards or something to celebrate.

    Classical Jack 's Classic Steak Diane Baked Stuffed Colossal Lobster Tail
    Anan Y.

    Services was great! Our waitress was nice. However the food was not as great as expected. It was definitely overpriced. If you'd like to go for the service I'd say it would be great, food quality is meh (we ordered stuffed lobster tail and their classic steak). Steak was over cooked (we ordered medium rare) and almost mushy :( We went on a Monday night, maybe their food is better during weekends.

    Dining
    Craig G.

    Exquisite fine dining experience in a iconic historical building. Driving through to Syracuse and was looking for a place to stop after driving all day. Menu selection was well thought out. Food preparation was beautifully displayed. Mouth watering and delicious. I would really recommend this stop - The history behind this building is amazing

    East Coast... all the way
    Michael L.

    When you go to a fancy place and your server make you laugh in addition to alway being prompt, knowing the menu and going above & beyond to make sure you have an amazing time... that's when you know you've found a a jewel. Mind you... The fact that Jack's has been around for over a century must mean they're doing plenty right, beyond my review here... I'm just sayin' we had a great time a loved EVERYTHING!! Our server: Aline (uh-lean).. seriously, the best!! Suggestion: We made our own shot that you may want to try - Shot of Gray Goose - Dash of vinegar (from oyster plate) - Dash of hot sauce - Lemon squeeze - Oyster Mix in a martini glass Consume one of two ways 1 - Like a shot NOTE: This may require you to wipe off your chin (like i had to), cuz the oyster takes a little work to get out of the glass and into your mouth (tapping the glass on your mouth) while it's already full of vodka. * OOOOOR * 2 - Stir with the oyster on a little fork... then eat it... THEN do the shot. NOTE: This method allows you more freedom to sip your drink Search #MetroVentureALB on Instagram for a better taste of our entire Albany Experience.

    Seafood Risotto with scallops and shrimp.

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    5 months ago

    Just reopened and the food and staff are amazing! Went here for dinner and I'm so happy to see the doors open again :D

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    Got there 30 minutes before posted closing as a single and was told they would not seat me.

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